Apparatus for determining the bias of the sole of a ski boot

ABSTRACT

A device for determining the bias or angle between the bottom of the sole of a ski boot and the wearer&#39;&#39;s knee. A flat base plate includes nub extensions centrally located on the underside and a rigid wand extending upwardly from one end thereof. When the wearer places the boot on the base plate, any bias will be indicated by the angle between the longitudinal centerline of the wand and the wearer&#39;&#39;s knee. Auxiliary clamping means may be added to the wand to check the accuracy of the subsequent correction of the boot sole.

United States Patent 1 Neumann [54] APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE BIASOF THE SOLE OF A SKI BOOT [76] Inventor: Dennis E. Neumann, 1998 SouthColumbine, Denver, Colo. 80210 [22] Filed: May 6, 1971 [21] App1.No.:140,885

[52] US. Cl. ..33/3 A, 33/174 D [51] Int. Cl. ..A43d l/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..33/174 D, 3 R, 3 A, 33/3 B, 3 C

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,110,895 3/1938 Verdier..33/174 D 2,535,787 12/1950 Darby ..33/174 D 2,558,846 7/1951 Guild etal.. ..33/174D 2,604,696 7/1952 Nelson ..33/3 A 2,810,964 10/1957Engelbert 33/174 D 2,822,613 2/1958 Lundberg ..33/3 A 3,375,586 4/1968Kennedy t ..33/174 D 2,645,025 7/1953 Weinerman .II: ..33/174 D [451Apr. 10, 1973 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 73,730 12/1916 Switzerland..33/3 A 17,999 9/ 1951 Australia 1 ..33/3 A 407,814 9/1966 Switzerland..33/3 A Primary ExaminerLeonard Forman Assistant Examiner-Dennis A.Dearing AttorneyBenton Blair [5 7] ABSTRACT A device for determining thebias or angle between the bottom of the sole of a ski boot and thewearer's knee. A flat base plate includes nub extensions centrallylocated on the underside and a rigid wand extending upwardly from oneend thereof. When the wearer places the boot on the base plate, any biaswill be indicated by the angle between the longitudinal centerline ofthe wand and the wearers knee. Auxiliary clamping means may be added tothe wand to check the accuracy of the subsequent correction of the bootsole.

9 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEUAPRIUW 3.726.015

sum 1 BF 2 DENNIS E. NEUMANN PATENTEBAPR 1 @1915 3 5 SHEET 2 BF 2APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE BIAS OF THE SOLE OF A SKI BOOT Thisapplication relates generally to ski boots and more particularly tomeans for measuring the bias of the sole ofa ski boot.

Most of the ski boots worn today are manufactured on a relatively largescale and, therefore, are not precision made with respect to the personwearing them or with respect to the sole of the shoe as compared to therest of the boot. Ideally speaking, if a boot were manufactured and madespecifically and with precision for one person, the sole of the bootwould have a lateral surface which would be exactly perpendicular to thewearers knee. In this condition, neither edge of the ski is laterallytilted so that in making any maneuvers or turns, the skier starts from aperfectly horizontal position of the ski and may move either edge asdesired.

The fact that the average ski boot does not fit these exact requirementshas been recognized in the past and is the subject matter of a devicefor correcting this problem, which device is illustrated in U. S. Pat.No. 3,375,586 issued to Thomas B. Kennedy. While this device does serveto measure an angle of interest, it is fairly complicated and fairlyexpensive to manufacture. Further, this device does not normally measurerelative to the knee. Therefore, the only time it would provide theangle of interest in the present invention would be if the knee of theperson happened to be located exactly vertically above the foot.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide apparatuswhich will measure the bias of the sole of a ski boot relative to theposition of the wearers knee.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for measuringthe bias angle as discussed above which device is simple to manufactureand economically available for use.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from thefollowing descriptions when taken in conjunction with the drawingswherein FIGS. 1-4 are illustrative of the purpose of the device and thecorrective measures taken with respect to a particular skiers leg andski boot;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the device used together with anauxiliary piece of equipment;

FIG. 6 shows the use of the auxiliary equipment with respect to theperson being tested;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the auxiliary as generally shown in FIG. 5';and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along lines 8-8 of FIG. 7.

In the following description, the term bias is used to designate theangle between the bottom of the sole of the ski boot and the wearersknee which angle, if perfect, would be 90 with a zero degree bias.

Broadly speaking, the invention comprises a rigid plate member having awand extending upwardly at one end thereof. Extension means locatedsubstantially centrally and longitudinally are secured to the inside ofthe plate opposite to said wand. When the boot is worn and placed on theplate, any lateral bias in the sole of the boot will be indicated by theangle between the longitudinal center line of the wand and the wearersknee.

Turning now more specifically to the drawings, there is illustrated inFIG. 1 a leg including a ski boot having a sole 15, with the bottom ofthe sole resting on a ski 11. In the description of FIG. I, the anglebetween the sole and the knee is 90 and there is a zero degree bias.Such a condition is that which is most desirable for the best skiingtechniques.

Before discussing the views shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the apparatusitself will be discussed. Such apparatus is shown in FIGS. 5-8 with FIG.5 showing the basic device which may be used with or without theauxiliary apparatus. The device comprises essentially a rigid platemember 21 which extends substantially horizontally when placed on anysurface. At least one extension is secured to the bottom of plate member21 and is centrally located relative thereto. The illustrative embodiment of the extension is shown as nubs 23, 25 and 27 which may besecured to the lower part of the plate member by any means such asscrews 28 or the like.

Extending upwardly from one end of the plate member 21 is a wand 29 madeof rigid material and having a longitudinal slot 31 therein. As shown,two upstanding finger members 33 and 35 are secured at either edge ofthe forward end of the plate member 21 and the wand 29 is hingedtherebetween by a means of a pin 37 for reasons to be describedhereinafter.

Additionally, in order that the wearer may center his bootlongitudinally along the rigid plate member 21, there is provided aguide means consisting of arms 39 and 41 which may be secured to theplate member by means such as welding.

Returning now to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, there is illus trated the method ofusing the device of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the boot 17 inplace with sole member 19 firmly placed within the guide means. Sincethe most critical time for a zero degree bias is when the skier isdriving forward into a turn, the guide means is preferably placed sothat the skier may bend his knee to the wand 29 as shown in FIG. 2. Thewand is hinged at its lower end in order to additionally determine ifthe skiers boot hinges straight when the knee is moved forwardand back.If the boot does not hinge straight, then the bias will not remain thesame in both positions. Therefore, for more critical or professionalevaluation, the hinged wand will also indicate if the ski boot hingesproperly. However, for purely recreational skiing, correction for theknee in its forward position should be sufficient.

Additionally, for a true measurement, the wand should be so hinged thatthe longitudinal centerline thereof lies in the same plane as thelongitudinal centerline of the plate member 21.

FIG. 3 discloses a boot which is improperly biased at the bottom of thesole thereof. Since the boot 17 holds the skiers ankle firmly in placeand does not allow it to bend laterally, when he places his foot on theplate 21 any bias on the sole will cause the plate to tilt the degree ofbias that exists. As shown in FIG. 3, the plate rocks on the nubs 23, 25and 27 and creates an angle L between the center of the wand 29 andthecenter of the skiers knee.

One of the preferred means of correcting this angle is to use preparedwedges 19 which may be added or subthe wand is located at the desiredposition with respect to the knee.

It will be appreciated, of course, that some highly complicated opticaldevices that are well-known today for measuring angles could be used inconjunction with the present invention. With such instruments one couldview the position as shown in FIG. 3 and obtain a very accuratemeasurement of the angle L, which angle is shown also in FIG. 4, andwhich determines the ultimate type, size and angle of wedge to be usedto correct the bias. However, it has been found that a little experience soon allows a person to choose either the size of wedge or thenumber of wedges to be used in order to correct the bias. I

It should also be understood that it would be possible to cut off aportion of the sole of the boot on one side rather than adding thewedges on the other side so as to accomplish the same effect.

The wedges themselves may be added to the boot or added to the skiaccording to the desires of the individual skier. Any type of wedge canbe used. They may be prepared simply either by cutting a piece of woodor plastic diagonally along the length thereof or molding wedges ofdifferent angular degrees.

Auxiliary equipment shown in FIGS. 58 may be used in order to determinethe correctness of the adjustment with respect to the knee of the skierwithout regard to a line of sight type of device. In this situation, thewand 29 is pivoted away from the rigid plate 21, and the auxiliarydevice which has a U-shaped configuration is moved vertically until italigns with the height of the skiers knee. The device is then movedtoward the skiers knee and if it fits exactly, the proper correction hasbeen made to provide the correct relationship between the bottom of theboot and the wearer's knee.

Any type of device may be used for this auxiliary equipment 43. There isshown a device which mechani cally is similar to that used on a skatewhen it is attached to the sole of a shoe or boot. The details of thisdevice are shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

A plate 45 terminates at one end of a shaft 43. Plate 45 is of adimension such that it extends beyond the edges of the longitudinal slot31. Extending outwardly from plate 45 is an exteriorly threaded bolt 47which may be integral with plate 45. A further plate 49 fits overthreaded bolt 47 and abuts against the wand 29 in a manner similar tothat of plate 45. However, plate 49 has an extension 50 which dimensionis such that it fits nearly exactly within the longitudinal slot 31 soas to guide the device when its being moved in a vertical direction. Awing nut 51 may be provided in order to clamp the device at a positionvertically on wand 29.

The apparatus for encompassing the skiers knee consists basically of aU-shaped device provided by curved plates 53 and 55. The terminal end ofshaft 43 is provided with a securing bolt 59. This bolt together withthe terminal end of shaft 43 provide two slots in which the innerslotted ends of curved plates 53 and 55 may be moved in a directionparallel to the flat face of wand 29.

Two substantially flat plates 61 and 63 are secured to the outerterminal ends of curved plates 53 and 55 by means such as welding.

A rod 65 has two externally threaded portions 67 and 69 at its terminalends with the threads being in a reversely threaded direction. Rod 65 iscentrally positioned by means of bearing plates 66 and 68. The outerends of flat plate 61 and 63 are internally threaded so as to mate withthe threaded portions 69 and 67 respectively. Accordingly, and in awell-known manner, when knurled knob is turned in one direction, theplates 61 63 and curved plates 53 and 55 will move closer together andwhen turned in the other direction will move apart; This, of course, isto adjust the device for varying widths of the skiers knee.

From the above description and drawings it will be quite obvious thatthe present invention provides an extremely simple device for making ameasurement and therefore allowing a correction of the bias of the soleof a skiers boot. It is to be understood that the description anddrawings are illustrative only since equivalent single components of thedevice may be substituted without changing the scope of the invention asset forth in the following claims.

Iclaim:

1. A device for measuring the lateral bias of a ski boot, while beingworn, relative to the knee position comprising an elongated rigid platemember having an upper planar surface, said upper surface being ofsufficient length to substantially subtend the sole of a ski boot placedlongitudinally thereof;

a wand extending substantially at right angles from said planar surfaceand secured to one end of said upper surface, said wand being of atleast a length approximate to that of the knee to foot leg portion of aski boot wearer;

extension means secured to the lower surface of said plate member forsupporting said plate member along its longitudinal axis, said platemember being pivotable about said longitudinal axis in response to thelateral bias of a ski boot aligned longitudinally of said plate memberso as to measure said lateral bias as indicated by the angle between thepivoted position of the wand and a line extending from the knee to thelongitudinal axis created by said extension means.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising means for centering saidboot longitudinally along said plate member and substantiallyperpendicular to said wand.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said means for securing said wand tosaid plate member comprises a hinge whereby said wand may be angularlymoved with respect to said plate member.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the longitudinal centerline of saidwand lies in the same plane as the longitudinal centerline of said rigidplate member.

5. The device of claim 3 further comprising adjustable means movablysecured to said wand for aligning said wand with said knee. 6. Thedevice of claim 4 wherein said adjustable means comprises a U-shapedmember adjustable vertically along said wand and laterally so as to varythe distance between the legs of said U-shaped member. 7. The device ofclaim 1 wherein said extension means comprises a plurality of nubsspaced along the centerline of said plate member.

8 The device of claim 1 wherein said wand comprises a rigid plate havinga longitudinal center slot located therein. 9. The device of claim 2wherein said means for cen- 5 tering said boot comprises a rigid guidesecured to said plate including two arms extending angularly outwardlyfrom said wand.

l l= =l

1. A device for measuring the lateral bias of a ski boot, while beingworn, relative to the knee position comprising an elongated rigid platemember having an upper planar surface, said upper surface being ofsufficient length to substantially subtend the sole of a ski boot placedlongitudinally thereof; a wand extending substantially at right anglesfrom said planar surface and secured to one end of said upper surface,said wand being of at least a length approximate to that of the knee tofoot leg portion of a ski boot wearer; extension means secured to thelower surface of said plate member for supporting said plate memberalong its longitudinal axis, said plate member being pivotable aboutsaid longitudinal axis in response to the lateral bias of a ski bootaligned longitudinally of said plate member so as to measure saidlateral bias as indicated by the angle between the pivoted position ofthe wand and a line extending from the knee to the longitudinal axiscreated by said extension means.
 2. The device of claim 1 furthercomprising means for centering said boot longitudinally along said platemember and substantially perpendicular to said wand.
 3. The device ofclaim 1 wherein said means for securing said wand to said plate membercomprises a hinge whereby said wand may be angularly moved with respectto said plate member.
 4. The device of claim 3 wherein the longitudinalcenterline of said wand lies in the same plane as the longitudinalcenterline of said rigid plate member.
 5. The device of claim 3 furthercomprising adjustable means movably secured to said wand for aligningsaid wand with said knee.
 6. The device of claim 4 wherein saidadjustable means comprises a U-shaped member adjustable vertically alongsaid wand and laterally so as to vary the distance between the legs ofsaid U-shaped member.
 7. The device of claim 1 wherein said extensionmeans comprises a plurality of nubs spaced along the centerline of saidplate member.
 8. The device of claim 1 wherein said wand comprises arigid plate having a longitudinal center slot located therein.
 9. Thedevice of claim 2 wherein said means for centering said boot comprises arigid guide secured to said plate including two arms extending angularlyoutwardly from said wand.